How to prove need for services
One of the most important questions on a funding
application form is the one that asks you to prove that
your project is needed.
A good argument of need will use a combination of types
of evidence. Some evidence will be gained from
speaking to people who will use the project, and some
will come from published research. Some will be
quantitative, giving numbers and statistics, and some will
be qualitative, about changes the project will make to
people’s lives.
All of the evidence should be detailed, specific and relevant to your argument, and you must be
able to show where evidence is from; evidencing how you know a fact or referencing your
sources. It is good to use real quotes, whether from people you have surveyed or from reports.
There are two elements to proving the need: 1. providing evidence that there is demand for the
project (it fills a gap, makes a difference to beneficiaries, is the only service in the area etc.);
and 2. proving the case for needing support or subsidy to make your project a reality.
Proving Demand for the project
Proving demand for your service means showing that there is an unmet need which you plan to
fill. You can show this by:
 Using statistics and research to explore the wider context for the project – use
census data, population data, or any factual information to give a context of why your
project is required. How does your project fit in with national and local policy and
priorities? Is there are higher level of need in the area you are working in (e.g. higher
than average unemployment levels)? Try comparing local statistics against regional or
national statistics to show when need is higher than average in an area.
 Ask your users and other stakeholders – you can get anecdotal evidence from current
or future users of your service. Surveys, questionnaires, interviews, petitions, open
meetings, observations, forums and consultations. Funders like to see groups engaging
beneficiaries in the design of services: how can you get your beneficiaries to participate
in the design of services.
 Record unmet demand – keeping waiting lists, information about gaps in provision, or
referral waiting times can all be used to show that there is an unmet need which you plan
to deal with. It is important that your work doesn’t duplicate that of other people so always
try to find out what else is happening in your field of work, and consider partnership
working if something similar already exists.
1
Updated: April 2016
Registered Charity No. 1105835. Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 5090324
Proving the need for subsidy
As well as showing why your work is needed, you also need to make a case for why you need
funding to support you. For this you need to show how you plan to find funding to keep your
project running, and that you have the correct systems in place to manage the project.
Think about what ‘added value’ you bring to your users and why you are the group that is best
placed to deliver these services.
It can sometimes be a good idea to ‘test out’ your idea to see if it works before applying for
longer term funding. This is called a ‘Pilot study’, and you can use this to evaluate what works
and what changes you need to make to improve the service in the long term. Pilots can be really
useful to try out new or perhaps more ‘unconventional’ or untried approaches, and evidence can
be used from pilot studies to show that there is demand for a particular project or that it makes a
difference to the lives of beneficiaries.
The wider context

National Government
You should show that you are aware of national policy
developments in your area of work. This might mean
government strategies such as ‘Localism,’ green or
white papers or reviews by government committees.
You can also look for research conducted by
universities. Look at Government department websites,
think tanks and research institutions to find evidence in this area – see resources below for
some useful links.
 Local Government
You should find out about London government strategies and those of your local authority.
What do your Council’s Plan and/or community plans identify as priorities? What do your local
authority commissioners see as the gaps in services in your area? What strategies are there for
the development of services in your borough?
 Mapping Existing Services
Find out as much as you can about the projects other local organisations are running or
planning to run which might be similar to yours. Does your project complement them by offering
something slightly different or operating in another geographical area, or is it exactly the same?
If it is the same it will be harder for you to argue to funders that there is a need and you are the
best organisation to address it.
To find out what’s already out there, ask your project’s potential service-users:
 Where do they go now?
 Where do they think the gaps are?
 What exists already but could be improved or expanded?
Ask your own staff and local people you have contact with what they know of.
Do internet searches and ask organisations like churches, community centres and housing
associations.
If you can’t find services locally like the one you are planning, see whether a neighbouring
borough or a different part of the country has a project like the one you want to run. If this is
working well you could mention it as part of your argument that your area needs this service too.
2
Updated: April 2016
Registered Charity No. 1105835. Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 5090324
 Statistics
You can find a variety of statistics broken down by borough on the Neighbourhood Statistics
website . There are more resources listed below that you could use and check whether other
local organisations have gathered statistics you could use.
The picture on the ground
 Describing your service users
Funders sometimes ask for ‘baseline information.’ This is a description of the situation the
people you will work with are in now, which can then be compared with after the project to see
what change has been made.
Give details about beneficiaries characteristics (age, gender, postcode, ethnicity, disability), the
conditions they live in (housing, family situation, employment), and barriers they are facing
which you want to address.
 Describing the change you want to make
Your description of the local context and the beneficiaries will build up a picture of what the
people need which is currently not being provided. Your project plans should relate directly to
these needs. For example, if you identify that people don’t have access to affordable childcare
you should have an idea of how your project is going to make this happen.
This information will help you to articulate your ‘outcomes’ the difference you want to make to
the lives of beneficiaries.
 How to get the evidence
To get the opinions of the people who will use the project and find out what issues they face you
can conduct focus groups, surveys and informal interviews. With permission, you could use
one individual as a case study to show the kinds of problems you want to address, so that as
well as statistics you can paint a picture. As well as asking the service users you could also
ask people who come into contact with them: health or education professionals, their families or
other organisations.
In conclusion, try to use a spread of evidence to show the funder that there is an objective need
for your services, demand for the services from beneficiaries and that you are the best
organisation to deliver these services.
Useful Resources
National Statistics
 UK National statistics publication hub – National statistics divided into various themes
e.g. crime and justice, children education & skills, Labour Market etc.
www.statistics.gov.uk
 Office for National statistics Census information– helps to build a profile of the
population, http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/index.html
 Office for National Statistics – information about the UK’s economy and society
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html
Local information
 Neighbourhood statistics – search for statistics for your postcode
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
3
Updated: April 2016
Registered Charity No. 1105835. Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 5090324



Southwark Council Plan – provides an indication of the direction of the local authority
and their priorities (the 2014 – 2018 plans are still being agreed) for more information see
http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50005240
Southwark statistics – Southwark council have gathered together statistics relevant to
Southwark on this webpage
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200088/statistics_and_census
DCLG Indices of deprivation – the Index of Multiple Deprivations combines a number of
indicators, chosen to cover a range of economic, social and housing issues, into a single
deprivation score for each small area in England.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-indices-of-deprivation-2010
Specific areas of interest
 Government Departments: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations
 London Health Observatory (Now part of Public Health England): statistics on health
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england
 Barnardo’s: research on children and families
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/policy_research_unit/research_and_publicatio
ns.htm
 Joseph Rowntree Foundation: research on housing and social care www.jrf.org.uk
 Kings Fund: research on health www.kingsfund.org.uk/
 Department for Work and Pensions: www.dwp.gov.uk
 Google Scholar – works the same as ‘Google’ but just searches for research relating to
your area of interest, http://scholar.google.com
Voluntary and Community Sector resources for research
 ARVAC (Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector)
www.arvac.org.uk
 Institute for Volunteering Research www.ivr.org.uk
 New Economics Foundation: http://www.neweconomics.org/
 IVAR (Institute for Voluntary Action Research) http://www.ivar.org.uk/
Support
If you would like any support with proving need, writing funding applications or any other issues
facing your organisation, please contact the Development Team at Community Southwark:
[email protected] or 020 7358 7020.
4
Updated: April 2016
Registered Charity No. 1105835. Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 5090324